Draft day Maybes

After the lottery, there is a lot going on at Cavs:the Blog. Please don’t miss Colin’s reactions to the lottery from last night, or the request for podcast questions right below this.

I was often in a group saying that good management and decision making will trump draft position, especially over the long haul. For every Oklahoma City Thunder, there are ten teams that had three picks in the first half of the lottery in three straight years and did almost nothing with that. I’ll also note that OKC picked #4 and #24 in 2008, when they grabbed Russ Westrbrook and Serge Ibaka. As you’re surely aware, the Cavs pick #4 and #24 this year. With that as intro, a few developments that would / could make draft day positive.

Maybe Washington or Charlotte talks themselves into Drummond, and Beal slips to #4.

Maybe Perry Jones III dominates MKG in a few June workouts, resulting in one of the aformentioned teams picking him as their SF of the future over the UK star.

Maybe Cleveland can trade up or down. Several people are noting the Trail Blazers as a potential target, with the #6 and #11 picks. The Cavs give themselves two chances to add high quality players, potentially filling holes at the wing and in the frontcourt.

Maybe the Cavs looks hard at PJ3 or Drummond and decide their “motor” issues are fixable…and the Cavs select one of them as a future star at #4.

Anyways, I’m not trying to make this too long, but wanted to shine a ray of sunlight on a day when Cleveland has wrapped up their third top-4 pick in two years. It’s now up to Cavs management to make the most of it and build the City’s next contender.

32 Responses to “Draft day Maybes”

The big difficulty with the Cavs draft position they brought on themselves by drafting TT last year. Robinson is basically out of play because of position redundancy and Drummond is not an option because both Thompson and Drummond are 4th quarter unplayables because of their FT shooting. You can possibly have one of those guys, you can’t afford to try and hide two of them; especially if they are 2 of your 3 best players. So it really is trade down, draft Barnes or PJ3, or hope Beal or MKG fall. I still think there is a good chance Beal or MKG will be there and with the depth in this draft think we could get good players at 24, 33, and 34. Considering the number of undrafted FA’s and 2nd round picks they have been rolling out the last couple years, I am a proponent of trying to come out of this draft with four players from those four picks (it is a weak year for draft and stash players or I would say pick 3 and stash one).

For me it is not hard to find the ray of sunshine in this scenario. Outside of Davis at #1, there are no guys that really feel like sure things, but a lot of guys with the potential to be great. The whole lose the lottery by winning the coin flip thing is a bit maddening, but outside of that there is nothing to really feel bad about.

While it hurts to slide a draft spot, I think the possible selections for the Cavs at #4 sound like any other players drafted in any other year: we see some high potential, and we see some question marks. I personally don’t consider MKG and Beal must-haves; it’s also not unrealistic to think one of those two might be available when the Cavs pick. Basically, I don’t have much of an issue with any of the names being thrown around as possible draft candidates at #4, as there are too many unknown variables to be getting worked up over. It’ll be a risk whoever the team takes.

But one thing that did get me kinda riled up is this idea of trading down… #6 and #11 in THIS draft? I would say after Anthony Davis, there are like 6 or 7 guys that could be stars in the NBA, and depending on who drafts who and when, talent could be sliding up and down all over the board. I think #6 would still be a pretty difficult spot to miss at, and that #11 pick, which is the selling point to me, makes the Cavs’ margin of error on draft day shrink dramatically. Count me on board for trading down.

Despite your astute analysis, I was curious if you have ever taken a 7th or 8th grade English class. Also, I was even more curious as to whether or not you get paid to write this blog. I wonder only because it seems you have no idea how to write. You also don’t proofread your work. Yes, I understand that people, mostly guys, skim over this between filling out TPS reports. Would it kill you to compose actual sentences and occasionally thrown in properly placed article or conjunction?

I would definitely trade the 6 and 11 with portland for our #4 and event through in the #34 pick. like you said, we could easily still land Sully, Barnes, or Jeremy Lamb (maybe drummond) at #6, then sweep back around and take Austin Rivers, Tyler Zeller or Perry jones at 11, and then Fab Melo, john jenkins, or Doron lamb at 24 and Festus ezeli or Draymond Green with the 2nd rounder? I’d be all over it! That’s a draft class right there.

I don’t see Portland Falling that in love with Beal or Robinson though, but we will see.

Joey Bang…. I was curious if you could keep to the subject matter of the Cav’s potential draft possibilities, instead of trying to sound intelligent and bash people for their improper usage of punctuation. We don’t care if someone’s post or story isn’t formatted properly, as long as they stay on the subject and make interesting points. Furthermore, eat it…

Its going to be an interesting draft for the Cavs. With 4 picks and the worst ones in the beginning of the 2nd round, there are a lot of options available to pick up some good players, or move around to better the odds to get who they want. There are a lot of good players in this draft, in my opinion. I’m not sure if there are going to be a lot of stars, but it looks like a lot of good role players. Hopefully the Cavs can continue to pick up some pieces to build themselves up and model themselves after that of OKC. Work through the pieces they have and hopefully find a way to pick up some extra picks for next year too.

I tend to think Portland views itself as a couple nice drafts away, not one player away from being a contender, so I am not sure if this trade back scenario that everyone seems to like is realistic. I would rather take the remainder of Barnes or PJ3 at 6 and then pick up Zeller, Sullinger, or perhaps Leonard at 11 as well, but I don’t see why Portland wouldn’t like their position since we all seem to like it so much . The situation in Sacramento seems more unsettled, so they may be the team the Cavs could take advantage of in a trade back. Getting the restrictions removed from the pick acquired in the Hickson trade wouldn’t be a bad move if it could be pulled off. This is probably pretty unlikely as well, but that team is in turmoil, so you never know what type of weird move they might make.

I am actually happy. I DO NOT want Beal. Do the research, in the last 10 years the only successful undersize 2s over the last decade are 6th men (Crawford, Terry) are lined up next to weak pgs so they control the ball (Gordon, Iverson) or are pgs themselves (Westbrook, Rose). The only group close to being successful are Ellis and Curry, and we see how that turned out.

With Kyrie approaching the level of ELITE pg, you can line him up with an undersize 2. Barnes is a great catch and shoot perimeter jumpshot player who excels when teamed with a pg. He is an ideal “fit” next to Barnes.

Golden state is also willing to trade. Would you Give up pick #24, Miami’s first next year, and swap Andy for Biedrins and the #7 pick? Sounds crazy, but Biedrins is 3 years younger and people forget a few years ago he averaged a double double. He is also a legit 7 footer. For GSW, they save money and get the better player……although Andy’s contract is a year longer than Biedrins’. I think overall its a move that make sense, and the Cavs will have Kyrie, Barnes or Drummond at #4, and 6-5 Jeremy Lamb at #7. Whats not to like?

I don’t know why everyone is so high on MKG and down on Robinson when Thomas Robinson has the same motor and work ethic, but has the same offensive limitations that can be fixed with teaching, however happens to be 3 inches taller. Doesn’t make any sense. So TT plays the same position? That’s a nice problem to have.

And something tells me that we’re ridiculously fixated on Beal being the next Ray Allen when the odds of that happening are extremely slim. since when did we want a 6’3 shooting guard that bad?

Barnes is ideal with Irving. He’s exactly what Irving needs. MKG ran the break a ton, was an overrated rebounder, and shot iffy. We have a superstar already. I think Barnes is the safe bet. I bet Grant agrees too.

We will draft Barnes with the #4 pick. He’s 6″9 athletic and can shoot. Kyrie will be able to drive and dish it. We will try to trade both of our second round picks for another first round. Probably for the 23rd and 25th pick. We will get a big and a shooter.

I agree to the posters above me… we need a SF, this guy isnt perfect, but he has a good SF frame, can shoot lights out, solid defender and well, he is a good friend of Kyrie… we really need a god damn scorer after Tawn’s departure and I dont see the Cavs taking a huge gamble with Drummond…

Doesn’t seem to be any need to trade the 4th pick for two more especially with four total picks in such a deep draft. We definitely want to get one of those Kentucky Wildcats even (or especially) if Lamb still available in the “twenties” and/or Darius Miller in the 2nd round. Miller excelled both for Team USA Under-20’s and as the consumate team player for the NCAA champs. Cavs are looking as pretty as anyone in this draft bar the Hornets!

I love Barnes game and I think the critisms of him not having a motor or disappearing are wrong or at least overblown. The real criticism is that he’s obsessed with his brand the same way LBJ was. Whether that’s enough to right him off or not is worth debating but I really wish he had come out last year so we could of got him instead of TT. I think PJ3 and Drummond are more enigmas than definite no motor guys. PJ3 played with the worst game coach in the NCAA. He is a wing player similar to Durant that was forced to play center with his back to the basket against other centers. Did drummond constantly disappear because his head wasn’t in the game or was it because he played with 2 ball hog pg’s and his head coach was MIA for 2/3s of the season. The only guy I don’t want is a 6’3 shooting guard. It’d be one thing if he was playing next to rondo or a great defensive pg but he’s not. he’s going to be playing next to 6’3 blow past me Irving. Remember when West and Williams were trying to guard combos of Hedo, Petreus, Lewis, and nelson. They shot 50% from 3 for the series. MKG or TRob and trade TT or trade down then PJ3, Barnes, Drummond

This draft is LOADED. There will be undrafted guys that play for 7+ years. Additionally, because it’s so deep, it will be crazy. Look at a guy like Terrence Ross. He could go anywhere between 8 and 20. Same thing with Jeremy Lamb. Jared Sullenger: 5-21. The other great thing: good players will inexplicably fall out of the first round. We should have a chance at some gems at 33 and 34. This draft is going to be nuts.

Agreeing with HoopsDogg on that this draft will have players ranges of where they fall much more similar to an NFL Draft than the NBA. The smart GMs will be filling their rosters with some solid and winning guys.

I’m glad there’s finally some level-headed commentators here. This sky is falling mentality is great for a surge in comments and page views, but it’s really not necessary.

To put things in propsective we were MORE likely to fall between picks 4-6 then get a top 3 pick.

We were MOST likely to get a 5th overall pick.

Therefore, getting the 4th overall pick is actually the same or better result than the majority of the scenarios that could have happened.

So essentially we lost a coin flip. And we’ll go and cry about it? How bout we trust our management and pick the best player then instill a culture in the organization that will maximize that players potential.

The team to watch as far as wanting to trade out of the lottery is Houston. Just heard a guy who covers them said they either want to move wayyyy up or move way down. That could be the Cavs trading partner right there IF the Cavs wanna deal…

Watching this workout of Beal, he looks very natural shooting deep 2s and 3s. A lot of times he was five-for-five on his jumpers, whereas other guys may only hit 2 or 3 in a row. If he really does measure out to be at least 6’4″ like DraftExpress says, he could be one of the combine “winners”. If he’s under 6’4″, it could hurt him.

And as far as “motor” goes, there’s not much Kyrie, Coach Scott, or anyone in the organization can do to fix a player that isn’t motivated. I know we all like to think we are different and can fix these issues, but in the end, it’s all up to that player (be it Drummond or Jones or Kwame Brown) to want to be the best they can be. If Perry Jones is content to put up 10 and 5 making 6 million dollars a year, there’s nothing anyone can do to force him to turn into an All-Star. Sure, you can bench him, yell at him, or give him pep talks every week, but until that man makes the conscious decision to perform to the best of his abilities, he will never reach that proverbial summit. That’s why the adage “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” is so relevant to the NBA. If you have serious concerns about a player’s desire to put in the necessary effort to be a success at the professional level, it is always preferable to take the hard working project (like Tristan Thompson).

That’s why player interviews are so vital to the NBA draft. Watching film only gives you half of the equation, the talent aspect. What you don’t normally see is whether this guy is going to put in the work to be the best. The all-time greats had both in spades; the role players had one and just enough of the other.

I had levels of excitement over the lottery. Them being 3rd or 4th was a good scenario and it was the most likely outcome. There is still room to move up with Charlotte. If Grant falls in love with a prospect like MKG, he’ll be aggressive in pursuing him and has the assets to get it done. This isn’t the end of the world.

I noticed that out of all the options listed in the article, drafting Barnes isn’t listed. I really think people are being overly pessimistic about the season he had. In Chad Ford’s blog, he brought up an interesting quote from a GM:

“He’s on a loaded team with a ton of options. He’s got the best passing point guard in America. His job isn’t to dish out assists. His job isn’t to rebound. The Tar Heels use him as their first option on offense, and I think he’s delivered. He can do more. We know he can. Sometimes it’s a little harder to scout guys when they have this much talent around him; he doesn’t quite pop the same way.”

The Cavs are in dire need of wing players. Harrison Barnes is a good wing player, on both offense and defense. He’ll have Kyrie to help him get open looks. He’s also capable of scoring in the post. Something the Cavs are also lacking. He’s also one of the most (if not the most) polished players on offense coming out. If Beal or MKG slips to 4, then yes, the Cavs should grab one of them. However, if they end up drafting Barnes, I think it’s a good move.

Scuzz,
No mention of Harrison Barnes is to some extent based on me writing this post in 10 minutes. I was in a rush. This same response could go to Joey Bang, who questioned whether I finished junior high.

I really hope the Cavs can somehow pick up Terrence Ross. Maybe trade up and nab the Blazers’ #11 pick. Ross in my opinion is going to end up being the best scorer in this draft. He has great length, can shoot well off the dribble and spot up, can create his own shot, has decent ball handling ability, and can drive to the rim as well. Just watching him play is impressive, and I think he can be much better than Beal.

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Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

Tom Pestak is an Associate Editor. He's from the west side of Cleveland and lives and (mostly) dies by the success and (mostly) failures of his beloved teams. You can watch his fanaticism during Cavs games @tompestak.

Robert Attenweiler is a Staff Writer. Originally from OH, he's long made his home in NYC where he writes plays and screenplays (www.disgracedproductions.com) some of which end up being about Ohio, basketball or both. He has also written for The Classical and the blog Raising the Cadavalier. You can contact him at rattenweiler@gmail.com or @cadavalier.

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